Transition from High School to College - Essay Example

What I Have Learned al affiliation How High School Did Not Prepare Me to College Transition from high school to college was one peculiar deadlock that I met as a student after my four year learning period in high school. I never anticipated such a hectic moment in my life because everything seemed to take an unprecedented angle yet inevitable. Left unaddressed, many students would find themselves at a giving up point or better to say, they would develop a phobia for such a transition. Looking back I can confidently say that high school did not prepare me for college life as my experiences in college have been different from what I encountered in high school. Freedom management is among the factors for my embattlement with the transition from high school to college. Freedom is one of the main issues among other myriad other issues which is being under-looked when it comes to the students’ move from high school to college (Cass, 2011). When I joined college after spending four years in high school, I came to terms with the reality of freedom. One fundamental thing that I had to battle with in college was freedom management. Back in high school, I operated under stringent school rules and regulations. Freedom was a dream come true to me and so rules and code of conduct became part and parcel of my daily life. As a young boy in high school, I did not enjoy any freedom because my life was so restricted to the point where I had to be accountable to every school authority in any of my undertakings. For instance, I could not leave or get in school at any time during the school days. Whenever I wanted to go home, say for medication, I had to obtain a leave out chit or gate pass in order to for me to be allowed to go out and subsequently come in. However, when I joined college I realized that I did not require any form of authorization whatsoever every time I wanted to go out of the college premises. In addition to that, meals were also restricted and I was expected to comply with the school menu at any time. This was regardless of whether I wanted to eat such food or I had no appetite for it. In contrast, I ate whatever my pocket was able so shoulder and this I did at my own discretion when I was in college. Other issues that need expedition in order to actuate smooth change from high school to college are discussed in the subsequent paragraphs. Course relevance is one of the key things that I found missing in the high school curriculum. Applicability of courses to the general student body ought not to be ignored because when I transited to college, I needed to know how to write a resume and official correspondences and letters to various organizations and companies in preparation to the job market (Carroll & Relles, 1975). Unfortunately, most of these important aspects of practical education are never taught or emphasized in college since it is grossly assumed that they were covered in high school. I had to seek further guidance every time I was faced with a necessity to that effect. Even as I continue to talk about the differences encountered between high school and college, I have to admit that life skills were never highlighted in high school. When I joined college, I realized that it is inevitable to stay with any fellow comrade in a random sense. This is like living with a stranger because I remember staying with one comrade in college even though I had never met him before. Several issues consequently arose in the process of our stay because adjusting in order to accommodate one another took quite some time. For instance, my roommate was a smoker while I never smoke. At first I felt like reporting him to the college authority but I had a second thought about it. It took me a whole semester to adjust, accommodate and tolerate him. Students, right from high school ought to be taught how to cope and adjust to one another to the point of our weaknesses. This is where they miss it. They release row students who other than academic knowledge cannot handle practical life issues like the one I have highlighted above. Time management is another important factor that high school never addressed well when it comes to joining college (Gibbs, 1988). In high school, life was a bit different when it comes to time utilization. I remember how I could be woken up very day early in the morning to prepare for the day’s activities. By 5:00am I was already awake because it was our high school’s policy. This enabled me to have good time to shower in the morning, spread my bed, tidy up my dormitory, take my breakfast and catch up with the morning lessons and personal study time. In the event that any subject teacher left behind some homework, I had ample time to undertake them and submit them in very good time. The whole day was organized such that each lesson, event and activity was allocated its own sufficient time. Class work was separated from other activities of the school like extra-curricular activities. However, when I joined college nobody clarified for me all these issues and how to go about college life in regard to time management. I therefore could waste a lot of time because I did not work under any supervision. Group work and participation is another important issue which I find to be pertinent to this essay. As a high school student I was trained that every class and homework is personally and individually done. It did not matter the complexity or extent of research expected in the assignment. All I was required to do was to go to the library and do a comprehensive and original work which upon collection, was marked and returned. Life seemed to have turned its back on me when I joined college since I was required to join a study group where I was expected to study, analyze, synthesize and present my findings in a corporate format. Each group member was expected to participate by zeroing down to one main aspect of the research question. I have to admit that I did not have the necessary know-how to form a comprehensive work group in terms of its numerical and aptitude composition. As a freshman in college I spent well over four weeks trying to find an appropriate and relevant study and work group to join in order to execute my term papers and assignments. Such time wastage would have been avoided had I known how to form an academic study group in high school. Another crucial issue that affected me during my transition from high school to college is self-discipline. In high school, I was under compulsion to keep myself tidy and maintain general personal hygiene. For instance, I used to keep short hair, put on ironed clothes and tuck in my shirttail and polish my shoes since breach of these was punitive. However, when I joined college things took totally a different turn. Nobody seemed to care and follow me up on such matters of self-dependence and discipline. I could put on any cloth that befitted my eyes. In conclusion, I propose that the kind of syllabus designed and implemented in high school should be as comprehensive as possible. Individuality and self-discovery should be inculcated and cultivated in the students as soon as they join high school and should be practiced throughout the four years of study. This will enhance autonomy during the transition to college because self-reliance and dependence is an inevitable recipe in the post-high school education. References Carroll, S. J., & Relles, D. A. (1975). The transition from high school to college: A study of freshman enrollments in Florida. Santa Monica, Calif: Rand. Cass, D. (2011). The Strategic Student: Successfully Transitioning from High School to College Academics. New York: Uvize, Inc. Gibbs, G. (1988). Campus daze: Easing the transition from high school to college. Alexandria, Va: Octameron Associates. Immediate Transition from High School to College. (n.d.). (Academic Search Premier.) Washington: US Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. (1999). Immediate transition from high school to college. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Read More